"Bam"

Outside the destroyed Malfoy Manor, at the entrance of the smoke-filled valley, Merlin throws the near-dead crazy witch onto the ground.

Even after consuming 5 bottles of healing agents, Bellatrix Lestrange was still in a terrible situation.

She had just taken a tactical missile to the face, after all.

Even with all sorts of magic spells protecting her, how could she not make sacrifices to survive that devastating attack?

"Wake up."

Merlin squats down and pats the witch's stained face with his gloved hand.

As the 'Dementor's Kiss', which Merlin had created, came in contact with the witch's face, she immediately widens her chaotic eyes as she had just seen true hell.

But then, before she could let out a word, Merlin grabs her burned neck.

Probably due to the two-sided aftereffects of the 'Dementor's Kiss', Merlin's expression and actions seemed to be much more ruthless than how he normally was.

Like the dark part of his soul had finally been unleashed.

"Ah, ah."

She lets out some whimpers, fear and pain filled her eyes but she could not speak due to Merlin choking her neck.

The previously crazy yet lawless witch, the abuser with the blood of countless innocents, she probably had never been so messy before in her life.

"Hermione told me that you spent a dozen years in Azkaban."

Merlin chokes her neck and looks at the painful woman in front of her with cold eyes, saying in a low tone:

"Then you should be familiar with a Dementor's abilities."

He raises his wrist and looks at the time, he then turns and looks beyond the horizon before speaking to the witch, whose positive emotions were slowly being devoured:

"We may have a dozen minutes' time left, I can bring back a corpse, or I can hand you over to the Order of the Phoenix, maybe they'll spare your life. What I mean is, it's now up to you on what you choose to do."

He saw complex emotions in the crazy witch's eyes.

There was hate, fear, anger, pain, craziness, and a hint of nostalgia and worry.

This witch was not as cold and ruthless as she had previously presented herself, she must have something else she can't let go of in this world aside from her adoration toward Voldemort.

Perhaps these emotions that were deemed weak by Death-Eaters could be hidden easily in usual days, but now, in her most fragile moment, as she was one step away from Death's door, she could no longer hide that emotion.

"What...do you want from me?"

Bellatrix leans on the heated stone and breathes difficultly, her condition was so bad that magic could no longer protect her; she felt pain even as she breathed in this smokey air.

Merlin takes off Carol's necklace and places it on Bellatrix's neck, he then lightly;y taps it.

Then, a facemask made of Kree technology is then placed onto Bellatrix's face, her expression becomes better after blocking the terrible air.

Merlin squats down before her, looks at the witch, and says:

"I was planning on finding something from Voldemort after finishing him off. But I heard that you were one of his most trusted followers, you're very close, so I assume that you know some secrets normal people wouldn't know..."

"Where are Voldemort's Horcruxes?"

Merlin asks coldly.

Bellatrix Lestrange seemed to have anticipated Merlin's question, she lets out a low chuckle, like the whimper of a dying beast.

She looks at Merlin and closes her eyes, acting like she was waiting for death.

She knew what the Horcruxes meant toward her beloved Voldemort, she would rather die than disclose this secret to Merlin.

Merlin could understand what she meant.

He stands up and pats the dust off his arm, he then looks at the witch by his feet and takes off his glasses; he points at his ember-like eyes and says to Bellatrix Lestrange, who was waiting for her death:

"These eyes come from the darkness. It can tell me many things that normal eyes cannot. Perhaps you believe that your twisted love toward Voldemort can help you cover up the fear of death, but that is impossible...poor Bellatrix."

Merlin bends his waist like bowing and whispers to Bellatrix in a tone only the two could hear:

"A dozen minutes ago, I discovered your 'small secret' the moment I saw you."

"Heh"

Bellatrix Lestrange lets out a disdainful snort. She seems to think that Merlin was simply being crafty with her.

 

There was no change in Merlin's expression as he continued in his soft tone:

"Normal people, I mean, normal wizards' life force is similar to that of a neverending river, under the force of mana, it flows throughout the body in a larger, faster, and calmer way. My eyes can see the change in lifeforce, thus identifying the healthiness of that person."

"Witch, your lifeforce is not normal...there is an unnatural weakness under the cover of the complete surface like a small creek had been split from the river. I've seen this once before and I know what it means."

Merlin acted like he was speaking of a riddle, and a few seconds later, he speaks out the answer in a softer tone:

"You've recently given birth...right?"

"If I'm not mistaken, just a few days ago too. I must congratulate you, miss, for you now have a descendant to that wizarding bloodline of yours."

Bellatrix Lestrange immediately opens her shut eyes and waves her hands at Merlin like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

She let out a ruthless yet weak cry like a mother beast protecting its child.

Her biggest secret had been revealed!

"Pa"

Merlin grabs onto Belllatrix's neck with his gloved left hand and raises her into the air, he tilts his head, looks at the struggling witch, and says:

"Your child isn't in the manor, right? Otherwise, you would've charged at me the moment you'd awakened. Such a lucky child to have been sent away just before the disaster struck."

Merlin lets out a soft yet sinister chuckle, he looks at the crazy witch in front of him with emotionless eyes and says:

"Tell me all the secrets about Horcruxes, and I promise to you that I will keep the existence of that child a secret...you see, equal exchange, this much is reasonable, right?"

He lets loose his fingers and the weak Bellatrix Lestrange collapses onto the ground.

She lies on the ground and whimpers painfully, her previous madness and coldness as a high-ranking Death-Eater were nowhere to be seen.

She yearns to become like her master and lover, devoid of emotion towards everything, but the motherly love originating from her soul means that she could never truly be void of all emotion...

What truly shakes the heart was never fear, but love.

"You should think for your child."

Merlin squats down and lifts Bellatrix Lestrange's stained face with his gloveless left hand, he looks at the evil woman whose face had been ruined and says softly:

"Who is his, or her father? Let me guess, it's Voldemort, isn't it? That lunatic who claimed to conquer death and rise above all else has eventually unleashed his beastly instincts, is there truly love between the two of you? Forget it...I care not of it."

"Think about it, you and Voldemort's child, how would he/she spend the rest of his/her life should the secrets of his/her origins be revealed?"

Merlin sighs and says:

"I'm not a father, but I can guess that the best gift a mother can give her child is a clean and pure starting point of life. What kind of life do you wish for your child? Miss Bellatrix, we still have a few minutes, I'll give you some time to think about it."

"Enough!"

Bellatrix Lestrange screamed and interrupted Merlin, those gentle words were like daggers stabbing into her heart.

Perhaps in the past, these words would not suffice in shaking her cold will and mad spirit, but now, in her most fragile moment, these words were enough to stir up her very soul.

TO choose her master, the Dark Lord she adores?

Or to choose her child, her only blood family?

There was nothing to consider when facing this question.

"Bam"

Bellatrix takes off the scorched black ring from her finger with difficulty and throws it to Merlin.

She says with a ghastly pale expression:

"Everything you want is in there, but I don't know everything. I can only tell you that you destroyed one of Voldemort's Horcruxes, the python Nagini, that was one of his Horcruxes, now there are only 2 left."

"Kill me."

Bellatrix Lestrange weakly leans against the rock and says in a low tone:

"I betrayed my faith, betrayed my master, I'm a coward who deserves not to live. I already got what you wanted, and now, give me the death I seek...don't hand me over to the Order of the Phoenix, I want to puke when I see them..."

"Don't be like this, miss."

Merlin looks at the ring in his hand, it was a delicate alchemy product, its green gem seemed to be storing some information, which is how wizards who don't trust paper record their diary.

He takes off the ring and the Dementor's Kiss, placing them into his pocket; he then takes out his wand, and in the flash of the crimson red light on the tip of the wand, Merlin says to Bellatrix Lestrange:

"Though you mat very likely end up being locked in Azkaban and spend the rest of your miserable life in solitude, as to repent for the crimes you did. But, how do I put it? Live strongly, miss."

A hint of pity flashed through the eyes of Merlin as he says:

"Perhaps, you'll be able to see your child again someday."

"No! Kill me! Kill me!"

Bellatrix Lestrange sees Merlin wave his wand and figures out what he was going to do, she screams with the last of her strength and begged for death.

But then, magic is cast onto her wounded body.

"Obliviate!"

5 minutes later, the support team led by agent Garrett stormed into the valley on multiple terrain vehicles. They saw Merlin from afar, as well as the unconscious yet exaggeratingly miserable-looking Bellatrix Lestrange.

"She lived?"

Garrett looked at the heavily wounded witch with astonishment, the woman before him refreshed his view on magic once again.

"It was pure luck that she survived."

Merlin points at the rubble behind him and explains to Garrett:

"They had set an unimaginable magic ward set around the manor, and the ward shielded them from some of the damage. She should also have plenty of protective magic gear on her, though even so, she won't be able live normal for the rest of her life."

Merlin shakes his head, he casually converses with Garrett before turning to look at the young witch Hermione, who stood behind him with a complex expression.

He reaches out, pats Hermione's shoulder, and says:

"I avenged you."

"I..."

Hermione looks at the smile on Merlin's face and glances at the near-dead Bellatrix Lestrange, a few seconds later, the young witch steps back and says:

"I hate her, Merlin, she tortured me and even threatened to harm my parents, I even thought of killing her personally. But...seeing her now, I don't hate her anymore, she's been punished."

She strokes her wrist, the scar carved there seemed to hurt less.

Merlin shrugs and takes a step back and stands by Hermione's side, the two look back at the agents led by the wizards of the Order of the Phoenix as they searched through the rubble; moments later, Merlin says:

"It's alright. It's okay for you to forgive your enemy, it shows that you are kind and that you did something that many people are unable to do; after all, forgiving is harder than remembering vengeance."

He lets out a breath and says:

"Surprisingly we destroyed Voldemort's fifth Horcrux, now you just have to find the remaining two."

He lowers his head, looks at Hermione, and says:

"Of course, Garrett and I will keep helping you, this war won't end until Voldemort is put to the ground; I'll follow you through..."

"Di Di Di"

Before Merlin could finish, the phone in his pocket begins to ring.

He picks up the phone and glances at the caller before frowning.

"Hello? Fury? Is something wrong?"

On the phone, Fury says in a serious yet anxious tone:

"Let Garrett take over what you're doing right now, head to London immediately, a plane will be waiting for you there."

"There's been another S-class event, in Argentine!"